Alabama Football: Biggest Storylines Heading into Fall Camp
For the second straight year, Alabama didn’t win the national championship, which has the college football world wondering, What’s wrong?
Only when it comes to Tuscaloosa could capturing the Southeastern Conference title essentially be considered a down year.
Regardless, head coach Nick Saban will again be looking to tweak things with his team’s approach, especially in countering uptempo offenses—including his own. During SEC media days, the coach admitted that coordinator Lake Kiffin’s attacking style contributed to the defense wearing down at the end of last season after having to be on the field for more plays.
“Being an old NFL guy, the way you play defense in the NFL is you play a lot of specialty defense because everything is based on situations,” Saban said. “What pace of play has done to the college game does not allow to you do that. So you have to basically play the same players in every situation because if you do play situation defense and you're allowed to sub in that particular situation, you can't get the players out of the game.
“So it affects how you recruit. You can't recruit as many specialty players. And you have to be able to match up in all circumstances and situations with teams that actually play that way, which is more difficult.”
Nevertheless, Alabama has more depth than any other SEC team but also plays the toughest schedule, beginning with the opener against Wisconsin in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 12.
Here’s a look at the biggest storylines heading into fall camp, which will open at the end of next week.
10. Replacing Jalston Fowler
1 of 10
Although fullback Jalston Fowler, nicknamed "Nudie," was just a fourth-round draft pick by the Tennessee Titans, Alabama doesn’t have anyone nearly as versatile to replace him in the lineup.
“Jalston certainly was an outstanding player for us, and he will be missed, but it will create an opportunity for other players at other positions,” Nick Saban said. “We have always operated more with two tight ends and one back and two receivers as a base formation. When we had Brad Smelley and players like that in the past, and Jalston being a fullback was kind of an anomaly for us because it's not a position that we really recruit.
“So we'll probably go back to tight ends playing those types of roles in our offense, whether it's O.J. Howard, Ty Smith—those bigger, athletic guys who have some of the same skill set.”
While coaches are looking for Howard to have a breakout season and contribute more to the passing game, Dakota Ball moved over from the defensive line last season, and Johnny Dwight followed suit this spring to provide some depth and blocking, especially in short-yardage situations.
9. Offensive Line Depth
2 of 10
Sophomore left tackle Cam Robinson and senior center Ryan Kelly are the anchors of the offensive line, and both could be up for national awards at the end of the season.
Three other starters appeared to step up during the spring, but now they have to solidify their positions and continue to improve.
Among them, the player to watch is senior Dominick Jackson (6’6”, 315 lbs) at right tackle. A JUCO transfer in 2014, he’s essentially the same size as Robinson but with a little more of a nasty streak.
“That kid’s a great run-blocker. We knew that. Coming from his previous college’s offense to now there’s a little bit change for him to pass block,” Kelly said. “(Offensive line coach Mario) Cristobal’s done a great job with him because pass blocking can be one of the harder things to do. If you’re big, you can run block, but money where’s the pass blocking is at. He’s been doing a great job and busting his butt all offseason.”
Sophomore Bradley Bozeman (6’5”, 320 lbs) and redshirt freshman Ross Pierschbacher (6’4”, 298 lbs) are the ones to beat at guard. Bozeman filled in for an injured Kelly for two games and played in nine games last season, and he could again be the primary backup at center. With his long reach, Pierschbacher could eventually end up at tackle. He worked behind Robinson in 2014 but ended up redshirting.
Leading the reserves are JC Hassenauer, Joshua Casher and massive guard Alphonse Taylor (6’5”, 320 lbs). This past February the Crimson Tide also added four offensive linemen in the signing 2015 class—guards Dallas Warmack, Brandon Kennedy and Richie Petitbon, and massive tackle Matt Womack (6’7”, 320 lbs), who could be a bit of a project.
8. Safety Dance
3 of 10
With the departures of Landon Collins, Nick Perry and nickelback Jarrick Williams, who had combined to play in 117 games, safety is the one spot defensively where Alabama has to completely retool.
It also has a new position coach, Mel Tucker—the former defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns.
After playing in 18 games and making 15 starts at cornerback and coming back to play just five months after sustaining a torn ACL last spring, junior Eddie Jackson moved to safety in the spring.
“Eddie looks really good at safety,” cornerback Cyrus Jones said. “I just think he’s a natural athlete and a natural football player. A lot of guys you can put them in a box and they can play just one position. But Eddie, you can put him anywhere and he looks like he’s been playing there all season.”
At the other safety position, senior Geno Smith worked with the first unit during the spring with junior Maurice Smith, another converted cornerback, at nickel when Alabama brings in an extra defensive back.
Sophomore Hootie Jones leads a strong group of up-and-coming players, while true freshman Ronnie Harrison turned some heads in the spring.
7. New Offensive Weapons
4 of 10
There’s a lot of talent among the playmakers, only a lot it is unproven at the collegiate level.
Last season’s winner of the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s best wide receiver, Amari Cooper, has moved on, along with DeAndrew White and Christion Jones. Last season the trio combined to make 183 receptions for 2,495 yards and 21 touchdowns; Cooper had 124 catches for 1,727 yards and 16 scores by himself.
Their primary replacements of Chris Black, Robert Foster and ArDarius Stewart combined for 31 catches for 381 yards in 2014.
Nevertheless, during Alabama’s A-Day, the final scrimmage of spring, Foster totaled 125 receiving yards on six catches, while Stewart had eight receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns. The two wideouts shared the game’s MVP award.
“Robert has really come on,” Nick Saban said. “I think being a young player Robert is uncertain sometimes exactly what he's supposed to do and how he's supposed to do it. When he knows, he plays fast and he has big-play ability.
“We certainly need him to develop the confidence and consistency in performance, and mature so that he understands the importance of doing the little things right so that he can be on the same page with the quarterback. And that's how he can improve his production and performance and help our team the most.”
Coaches will also be looking for junior Raheem Falkins and redshirt freshman Derek Kief to step up into reserve roles, and fans are excited about true freshman Calvin Ridley, a prize prospect out of Pompano Beach, Florida.
With sophomore Cam Sims sustaining a torn ACL in the spring, Alabama added fifth-year transfer Richard Mullaney from Oregon State.
The Crimson Tide will also occasionally line up running back Kenyan Drake as a wideout this season as well.
“I really pride myself on being versatile,” Drake said. “I have the ability to play running back, to play receiver, be in the backfield or line up outside. I try to give coaches the ability to put me in a position to really help my team out in any way I can.
“With that being said, I always look forward to anything [coordinator Lane] Kiffin comes up with. He’s a mastermind of play-calling and puts his players in the best position to be successful so with that I would want to make sure that I can be trustworthy so he can put me in the best position for our team.”
6. Who Starts Next to Reggie Ragland?
5 of 10
After finishing as a semifinalist for the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker in 2014, Reggie Ragland is expected to be Alabama’s next big-time interior linebacker like Rolando McClain, Dont’a Hightower and C.J. Mosley before him.
The question is, Who will line up next to Ragland on most snaps?
It could end up being a tandem between junior Reuben Foster and sophomore Shaun Dion Hamilton, as the hard-hitting Foster is better against the run and Hamilton is more prolific defending the pass. The potential rotation could be similar to what Alabama did a few years ago with Mosley and Nick Johnson, although switches will be tougher against uptempo offenses.
“It’s a battle between them,” Ragland said. “They’re both very smart guys, physical, come up and hit you.”
While Foster has already wowed Alabama fans with his nasty, vicious hard hits, numerous neck and head injuries kept him on the sideline for most of his first two years. Familiarity with the scheme coupled with a strong spring and Saban saying he’s made “tremendous progress” has resulted in a bigger role.
Of course, stopping the run hasn’t been particularly problematic for the defense under the direction of coordinator Kirby Smart, and if Alabama’s final spring scrimmage was a fair indicator, it’ll be a strength again this fall.
Specifically, opponents averaged 3.2 yards per carry and were limited to just five rushing touchdowns last year. Because of breakdowns and Alabama’s offense playing at a higher tempo, the Crimson Tide defense averaged eight more snaps per game from the previous year (67.5 to 59.3) and thus obviously had to make a lot more tackles.
5. Finding Defensive Roles for Everyone
6 of 10
There isn’t a team in college football that wouldn’t want Alabama’s depth up front defensively.
“We're going to have a very, very good front seven,” said Nick Saban, who almost never offers such praise before the start of a season.
On the line, Alabama only lost reserve nose tackle Brandon Ivory and defensive end Anthony Orr, who never started a game during his career. That’s it.
The Crimson Tide have a starting three of A’Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed and Jonathan Allen, with reserves including senior Dalvin Tomlinson, senior D.J. Pettway, sophomore Da’Shawn Hand, senior Darren Lake, sophomore Josh Frazier and redshirt freshman O.J. Smith. Defensive tackle Daron Payne, considered by some to be the top in-state prospect this past year, will look to make an immediate impact as a true freshman.
Alabama could have numerous contributors among the outside linebacker as well. With senior Denzel Devall limited in 2014 due to an injury and missing the spring following foot surgery, versatile senior Dillon Lee and junior Ryan Anderson figure to be strongly in the mix.
There’s also a bunch of young, fast “quick-twitch” players who should factor in the pass rush, including junior Tim Williams, sophomore Rashaan Evans and redshirt freshman Christian Miller. All could be poised for breakout seasons.
Alabama had 14 players who were in on a sack in 2014, and all but one returned.
“We have a lot of guys who can contribute,” senior interior linebacker Reggie Ragland said.
4. Running Back Depth
7 of 10
Although Alabama has landed some of the nation’s top running backs in the past few recruiting classes, depth became a major issue during the offseason and even had coaches checking out if any immediate help was available.
Freshman Bo Scarbrough suffered a knee injury during the first scrimmage of spring practices, and Ronnie Clark is coming off a torn Achilles that he suffered after switching over from defensive back last season.
Reserves Tyren Jones was dismissed from the team, and Altee Tenpenny transferred. An academic issue affecting the eligibility of true freshman DeSherrius Flowers was discovered after the spring, resulting in his transfer to a junior college.
The good news for Alabama fans is that Scarbrough is expected back at some point this fall, and there’s standout prospect Damien Harris from the 2015 class.
The unit is led by junior Derrick Henry, who appears poised for a big season, and senior Kenyan Drake is back from the horrific leg fracture he sustained at Ole Miss last season.
“It’s definitely been a hard road,” Drake said. “I’ve never had an injury to that extent before. Once it happened I had to really realize this wouldn’t be a two- or three-week injury, it’s going to be a four- or five-month injury. I still kind of have aches and pains a little bit, but it’s all about your mindset, and I’m ready to get back on the field with my teammates.”
3. Cornerback Play Must Improve
8 of 10
Alabama’s four-year drought of not landing a prize recruit at cornerback ended in 2014, and it could make a huge difference with this year’s defense.
The media named converted wide receiver Cyrus Jones to the All-SEC squad, but the players to watch are sophomore Tony Brown and redshirt freshman Marlon Humphrey. Just about every recruiting service had them ranked among the top three cornerbacks available in 2014, and the former 247Sports 5-star prospects are beginning to live up to their potential.
Brown played in 13 games with two starts last season and lined up as a starter during the spring. That’s when things started to really come together for Humphrey, the son of legendary Alabama running back Bobby Humphrey.
Behind them are two more prize prospects, Kendall Sheffield and Minkah Fitzpatrick, who began learning the defense over the summer as Alabama started piecing together its next wave of top-notch defensive backs.
2. Discovery Team Identity
9 of 10
During the offseason, Nick Saban placed a huge emphasis on re-establishing the team identity, although what he was really trying to say is that he wants the Crimson Tide to reclaim its swagger.
“We want to be more physical, tougher on the line of scrimmage, be relentless in the way that we compete so that we're never affected by what happens in a game, that we can keep playing at a high level on a consistent basis, and that we take care of the ball and do the kind of things to execute with consistency that's going to give our team the best chance to have success,” he said. “These are things that we need to improve on. We did not finish the season the way we wanted to last year in terms of the way we played.”
One of the ways that coaches hope to inspire more turnovers created by the defense was the creation of the Ball Out Champion award, which is similar to a boxing title belt that will be passed around from player to player.
Last year, the Crimson Tide finished minus-two in turnover ratio.
Senior linebacker Reggie Ragland spoke volumes at SEC media days when he said, "Guys aren't scared to play us anymore, it’s as simple as that. Guys come in very happy, excited to play us.
"I used to see teams break down in the first half and just give up playing. We've got to get that back."
1. The Quarterback Competition
10 of 10
Similar to last year, Alabama is heading into training camp in search of a starting quarterback.
During this year’s A-Day, senior Jake Coker took the most snaps and completed 14 of 28 attempts for 183 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. Last season he appeared in seven games and completed 38 of 59 attempts (64.4 percent) for 403 yards. He had four touchdown passes with no interceptions.
His primary competition appears to be redshirt freshman David Cornwell, who had a good spring and threw the second-most pass attempts on A-Day.
The pecking order behind them will be something to watch during training camp.
Also on the roster are junior Alec Morris, sophomore Cooper Bateman and true freshman Blake Barnett, a former 5-star prospect considered one of the best quarterbacks in the 2015 class.
Coach Nick Saban said he wants “somebody taking the bull by the horns at that position, being assertive, playing with confidence, distributing the ball and executing in a positive way, being a good decision-maker, and showing leadership at the same time. We do not have an experienced player at that position.”
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer.
Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.
.png?w=600 "Landing Spots For NBA Free Agents ✈️")
.jpg?w=600 "NFL star fakes injury at Savannah Bananas game")
